This invention relates generally to the field of ankle braces and more particularly to an ankle brace for independent adjustment of the upper and the lower portions of the brace.
Ankle braces are generally employed to immobilize or inhibit the movement of the foot and ankle with respect to the leg. In this manner, an ankle injury can be healed more effectively. Ankle braces can also be employed to provide support to the joint during continuous or high stress activities. The devices have been utilized in many fields including many commercial and industrial applications.
Initially, ankle immobilization (or the inhibition of movement of the ankle) was achieved through the application of tape. However, taping takes expertise and is generally time consuming. Further, taping works well for immobilization but does not allow the joint to flex to any great degree and can also be somewhat difficult to remove.
Ankle brace devices have been devised to overcome these shortcomings. Generally, prior art ankle braces have been formed as a boot-shaped body having an open front and a hole at the heel. An opening at the toe allows the toes to move freely. The devices have generally had a tongue fitted into the open front and securing systems for holding the front edges together.
The most common securing system has provided a plurality of eyelets positioned along the front edges and a lace threaded through the eyelets and tied together at its ends to hold the front edges together. The lace can be tightened or loosened to adjust the overall size of the brace, thereby adjusting the size of the boot and/or the amount of immobilization provided.
It may be desirable to have the upper portion of the boot tightened to a different degree than the lower portion of the boot, or vice versa. These configurations cannot be achieved by the prior art devices because there is only a single lace for adjustment. Furthermore, it is sometimes desirable to make gross adjustments to the brace, for example, to test general fit, and then make fine adjustments without altering the initial gross adjustments. The lace devices of the prior art cannot accomplish this function because the lace provides only one means for both gross and fine adjustments. Additionally, the use of a single lace design provides uniform force to all areas of the front of the brace. It may be desirable in some applications to have reduced force in the region directly above the ankle. This reduced force allows the ankle some freedom of movement. The single lace design of the prior art cannot provide the increased freedom of movement necessary for such applications.
The present invention generally provides an ankle brace having an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion defines an interior having a first circumference. The lower portion defines an interior having a second circumference. The ankle brace further comprises a system for adjusting the sizes of the first and second circumferences independently of each other.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention generally provides a body having upper and lower portions and an open front. The brace is adapted to receive one or more laces that are arranged to span the open front and to be received by the body.
The size adjustment of the first and second circumferences may be accomplished via a plurality of tabs each having a lace receiving eyelet, the tabs being releasably and adjustably attached to the body. The tabs may be constructed and arranged to provide independent gross adjustment and/or fine adjustment of the sizes of the first and second circumferences.
Gross adjustment may be provided by two or more first tabs each having one or more eyelets for receiving a lace, one of the first tabs being releasably attached to the upper portion of the brace while another first tab is releasably attached to lower portion. Fine adjustment may be provided by two or more second tabs each having an eyelet for receiving a lace, one of the second tabs being releasably attached to the upper portion of the brace while another second tab is releasably attached to the lower portion.
In the described embodiment, the tabs are utilized in sets of one first tab and one second tab. The brace may be arranged to utilize the sets of tabs wherein one of the tabs is capable of being releasably attached to the body on one side of the front opening, while the other tab is capable of being releasably attached to the body on the other side of the front opening.
The mechanism for adjustment of the size of the upper portion of the brace may be provided by a pair of tabs each having an eyelet thereon for receiving a lace and means for releasable attachment of each tab to the body. One of the tabs is capable of being releasably attached to the body on one side of the front opening, while the other tab is capable of being releasably attached to the body on the other side of the front opening. This embodiment of the brace may be arranged such that one tab is utilized for gross adjustment and one tab for fine adjustment of the portion of the brace to which the pair is releasably attached.
The aforementioned benefits and other benefits including specific features of the invention will become clear from the following description by reference to the accompanying drawings.